Raiders have thrown third-most passes within 5 yards in 2018

Raiders have thrown third-most passes within 5 yards in 2018

If you have watched even a minute of the Oakland Raiders’ offense, you know that they throw the ball short. A lot. It’s one of the most passive offenses in the NFL. But that is by design. Jon Gruden has always deployed a West Coast offense that is designed to get the ball out of the quarterback’s hands as quickly as possible.

But even by Gruden’s standards, this team is throwing the ball short a lot. According to ESPN’s NFL Matchup show, the Raiders have thrown 151 passes this season within five yards, the third-most in the NFL.

Due to so many passes being of the shorter variety, it’s hurting the Raiders’ explosive play count. They just aren’t making enough plays down the field. This isn’t an issue if your receivers are creating after the catch. While they haven’t been bad this season, they just aren’t as dynamic as some of the other units on this list.

Throwing the ball short isn’t a bad thing. In fact, most of the time, it’s the most efficient way to move the ball. Oakland just needs to mix in some deep throws to keep defenses honest. As Martavis Bryant and Jordy Nelson get a better grasp of the offense, I expect that to happen.

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